WA motion for legislated GST floor passes Federal Nats conference

Friday, August 17, 2018

A WA motion calling for a 75c GST floor to be enshrined in legislation has today won the support of the Federal National Party at its annual conference in Canberra.

The motion, put forward by The Nationals WA Senate candidate Nick Fardell, comes almost seven years since Tony Crook – the then Nationals WA Member for O’Connor – introduced a similar motion in Federal Parliament.

“The Nationals WA have led from the front in calling for a fairer share of GST for Western Australia,” Mr Fardell said.

“Back in 2011, Tony Crook cast a lonely shadow as the only WA MP to vote for a 75c floor in the GST. Every single Liberal and Labor MP from WA voted against a floor.

“These days you will hear WA MPs talk about the merits of a GST floor, yet back when Tony took a stand it wasn’t quite as fashionable.

“Our party – which has a rich history of standing up for West Australians – had the guts to take the fight to Canberra. We have done so again today.”

Mr Fardell congratulated and thanked the WA public for their persistence in getting a fairer deal on the GST.

“As a result of today’s motion passing the Federal National Party will seek to implement legislation which will ensure no State or Territory will ever suffer again in the way WA has,” he said.

“The injustice WA endured at the hands of this perverse distribution system amounted to more than $20 billion being ripped out of our State over the past decade, at a time when our economy could least afford it.”

Mr Fardell welcomed the passage of the motion and said he looked forward to working on the legislation as a Senator for Western Australia.

“I am asking the people of Western Australia to send me to Canberra as their Senator to finish what Tony Crook started all those years ago,” he said.

“West Australians know that when they vote National they vote for someone prepared to have a fight on their behalf.

“Someone who is prepared to get a blood nose for the better of their State.”